BRISTOL – The Route 94 Carrico Bridge over the New River in Grayson County, closed March 11 for inspection after being damaged by an over height vehicle, will remain closed while a new bridge is built.

Construction of the new bridge was scheduled to begin this fall and plans were to use the current bridge for traffic during construction, removing the old bridge upon completion of the new one.

In light of the recent damages to the bridge and the $2.2 million price tag to perform repairs VDOT is pursuing an emergency bridge replacement contract, speeding up the start date of the construction. The project is tentatively anticipated to begin in July. Because the current bridge is no longer safe for traffic during construction, the current detour will be in place during construction of the new bridge.

“VDOT understands the detour will be inconvenient for motorists,” Ken Brittle, VDOT Bristol District Administrator, said. “However, the emergency contract gives VDOT the ability to start the project sooner and allows us to remove the old bridge while we construct the new bridge, shortening the wait time for the new, modern and safe bridge.”

Motorists are advised to use caution in the area and pay close attention to signs leading traffic around the work zone.

Motorists and trucks can detour around the bridge by using Routes 94 and 274. Local traffic wanting to travel from Fries to Galax can utilize Routes 606 and 721 across the low-water bridge to Glendale Avenue.

The Route 94 Carrico Bridge is a truss bridge, built in 1927. The bridge currently carries approximately 1,900 vehicles per day. (END)

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.

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